▲ Kim Joo-hyung
Kim Joo-hyung climbed the leaderboard by shaving four strokes off his score in the third round of the PGA Tour 3M Open.
Kim shot a 4-under-par 67 with five birdies and a bogey in the third round held at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, USA.
Having made the cut tied for 31st at 5-under-par after the second round, Kim posted a total of 9-under-par 204, moving up three spots into a tie for 28th.
Kim, who signaled a revival two weeks ago at the Genesis Scottish Open by quenching a 33-month thirst for a victory, is aiming for a top finish at this tournament, bouncing back from the disappointment of missing the cut at the Open Championship major last week.
While he trails leader Jackson Coburn—who sits at 20-under-par—by 11 strokes, he is just 5 strokes behind a group tied for 9th at 14-under-par, leaving the door open for a strong push into the upper tier on the final day.
Starting smoothly by sinking a birdie putt of about 3.5 meters on the 1st hole, Kim continued with a streak of pars through the 10th hole before picking up three more strokes starting from the 11th.
Coburn, born in 2005 and who turned professional last month, rocketed to the sole lead by firing a blistering 10-under-par with two eagles and six birdies without a single bogey, zeroing in on his first PGA Tour victory.
Coburn, a former world amateur number one, has positioned himself for a chance to win in just his third PGA Tour appearance since turning professional.
Emiliano Grillo of Argentina and Ben Kohles of the United States chased leader Coburn in a tie for 2nd at 17-under-par, 3 strokes back.
Korean-American player Michael Kim, who surged to the sole lead the previous day by carding a magical 59—dubbed the dream score—managed to shave only one stroke and slipped into a tie for 6th at 15-under-par.
World number one Scottie Scheffler shot 7-under-par in the third round to head into the final round tied for 9th at 14-under-par.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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